RE: NANFA-- Phase 2 of the "Trip Report"

Nick Zarlinga (njz_at_clevelandmetroparks.com)
Thu, 23 Oct 2003 07:31:04 -0400

><)> So here's a pic of what I did:
><)> http://www.farmertodd.com/nanfa/bill/ReportExample.jpg

Nice picture. Wood looks like rare brazilian rainforest cherry or something
;))

Nick Zarlinga
Aquarium Biologist
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
216.661.6500 ext 4485

><)> -----Original Message-----
><)> From: owner-nanfa_at_aquaria.net
><)> On Behalf
><)> Of Todd Crail
><)> Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 6:50 PM
><)> To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
><)> Subject: NANFA-- Phase 2 of the "Trip Report"
><)>
><)>
><)> Greetings NANFAns :)
><)>
><)> Recently, I went out and sampled the headwaters of
><)> one of my favorite
><)> streams, Tenmile Creek, here in the Toledo area.
><)> One of the drivers on the
><)> Lumber side and I frequently go on deliveries for
><)> my PEH side's kitchen
><)> cabinets. While driving around, I discovered some
><)> forgotten spark in this
><)> fella's life, we began discussing the natural
><)> heritage of the area and got
><)> him right up to speed on all things Lucas County.
><)> As a result, he mentioned
><)> that his Grandmother has three properties, each
><)> along Tenmile Creek and in
><)> distinctly different habitats along the
><)> progression of the creek.
><)>
><)> Her home is right on the sharp drop through the
><)> sandy Oak Openings in the
><)> City of Sylvania, which is larger rocks and riffle
><)> habitat, followed by
><)> pools and runs. Her second property is in the
><)> midreaches, which are clay
><)> based Great Black Swamp channeled pools, which I
><)> feel have _not_ been
><)> modified (aside from removal of their year round
><)> swampy floodplains and wet
><)> forests) and maintain their riparian zones and log jams.
><)>
><)> The final property is in the headwaters, which has
><)> been modified heavily for
><)> agricultural use and looks more like a ditch
><)> rather than a creek (and is
><)> used as one). However, I am incredibly suspicous
><)> that this segment exists
><)> in an early drop of sediments from Glacial Lake
><)> Warren (if not Glacial Lake
><)> Maumee for sure). The adjunct prairie remnants of
><)> the Oak Openings had left
><)> some awesome loamy, sand soils and hydrology which
><)> have made a couple of
><)> these local famers fairly wealthy with the prime
><)> conditions to grow corn and
><)> soy. It will be interesting to do a little
><)> research and actually find the
><)> demarkcations of what _was_ praire and what _was_
><)> swamp, and then play a bit
><)> with what life has made out of what's left.
><)>
><)> Again, life persists. In 45 minutes of twilight
><)> and a dipnet I was able to
><)> sample 13 of the usual suspects with least darter
><)> in the mix. This looks
><)> like the least darter's habitat for sure. I had
><)> sampled some with Shane
><)> Graber about a mile upstream earlier this spring
><)> as a real suprise. I think
><)> we've stumbled onto a stronghold for Ohio in least
><)> darter (once a bit
><)> further north in Michigan they're everywhere :)
><)>
><)> It will be interesting to compare notes of Tenmile
><)> Creek with Bear Creek and
><)> the Raisin River, which are the watershed directly
><)> north, and would have
><)> been connected by swamp or wet prairie a great
><)> portion of the time with
><)> Tenmile and Swan Creeks (prevalence of
><)> orangethroat darters seem to be a
><)> great indicator around here which was historically
><)> prairie and what was not)
><)> . I'll save that for next year when an investment
><)> in a Michigan liscence
><)> will make a bit more sense with money being tight
><)> and all right now.
><)>
><)> And I'm gonna find creek chubsuckers and longears.
><)> In one of them. Dangit.
><)> :)
><)>
><)> So instead of giving you all the usual list o'
><)> fish that I give from Tenmile
><)> Creek, I thought I'd share what I was doing for
><)> this gentleman and his
><)> family. He had asked for a list of what was
><)> there, and I thought I'd take
><)> the extra creative mile and give him some photos
><)> and write it all up nice
><)> and neat on the NANFA Collection Data Sheet to
><)> make it look O-fish-al.
><)>
><)> While on our mini vacation and thinking about
><)> this, it dawned on me that I
><)> sample all these places and then just horde the
><)> data. And these sheets
><)> _really_ help me to remember to get my temps,
><)> clarity, pH and DO2. I'm
><)> horribly prone to just "Fish fish fish fish" and
><)> then smack myself when I'm
><)> 20 minutes down the road. So while I was writing
><)> them up I thought....
><)>
><)> "Why don't I just send these out with a little bit
><)> of a NANFA greeting card
><)> and let 'em know what I saw on their
><)> property/park/etc and leave a little
><)> bit of an open invitation to come back and do
><)> something more formal...."
><)>
><)> Jeesh! Why didn't this occur to me sooner?!? :)
><)> What a great way to
><)> recruit people into the scope of NANFA's mission,
><)> regardless of wether they
><)> become members or make donations to the Grant
><)> funds or not (but it'd
><)> certainly be a lot cooler if they did :)
><)>
><)> So here's a pic of what I did:
><)> http://www.farmertodd.com/nanfa/bill/ReportExample.jpg
><)>
><)> No big deal. Just took some shots that I had,
><)> slapped them together with a
><)> little text in Word and this will really make the
><)> experience for these
><)> people. I plan on doing something more extensive
><)> this winter to be used as
><)> a photo resource for NANFA members. It would be
><)> great to consort with
><)> others in different regions as digital cameras are
><)> starting to show up in
><)> everyone's hands. We can have a database so you
><)> can _easily_ create a
><)> little trip report like this and then mail it out.
><)>
><)> The Collecting Data Sheet can be downloaded from:
><)> http://www.nanfa.org/activities.htm
><)>
><)> It's the bottom link on the page, so just scroll
><)> down if nothing catches
><)> your interest on the way :)
><)>
><)> Todd
><)>
><)> It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
><)> http://www.farmertodd.com
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/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
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/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
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/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org